Proper Male Influences
by voldyhasnonose
Summary: All little boys need proper male influences. For Hermione's son, it had always been Harry Potter, but because of a chance encounter, the man Hermione wanted to keep out of her son's life had suddenly taken a front seat. AU - Severus didn't die - Hermione/Severus pairing - There will smut in later chapters, so I'm rating it M now
1. Chance Encounters

"William Matthew Granger come back here!" Hermione called as her four year son pulled his hand from hers and ran off into the crowded Diagon Alley. This happened everytime they came Diagon Alley; William would look for an opportunity to get away from her and go look at the brooms in the window of the quidditch shoppe. He had an obsession with quidditch, ever since his uncle Harry started teaching him and Teddy to play the sport. Hermione was grateful for the male influence in her son's life, but she could do without the daily question of, "Can we go look at brooms today, mummy?" to which Hermione would reply, "Not today, baby," and smooth out his curly black locks.

When William didn't come back, as she knew he wouldn't, Hermione quickly paid for the groceries she had in her bag and made her way over to the the quidditch shoppe to find her son. When finally got to the window, she was surprised to see William was not standing in front of it, oogling at the new _Stratosphere 3.5_.

Hermione started to feel that nasty feeling in her stomach, like something was wrong. She immediately started pushing through the crowd trying to see if William was perhaps in the middle of it, playing hide and seek with her. "William!" she called in a frantic voice as she pushed past a group of teenagers on summer holiday.

After was seemed like ages of looking for him, but was only in fact a minute and a half, Hermione saw William crying on the ground with a man in front of him. She rushed over to him, "William," she said as she got down next to the man not even looking at his face to see who he was, "Baby you can't run off like that. You scared me," she said as she kissed his head stroked his hair. William just started crying harder, the way children do when they think they're in trouble.

"What happened baby?" she asked as she looked at his knees which were both scraped and bloody.

Before he could answer, the man who was crouched over William cleaning his cuts with wand spoke up, "Miss Granger, it would appear that your spawn was weaving through the pedestrians in Diagon Alley, when he tripped over the loose cobbles and landed in front of me," the man said in a tone that could be mistaken for dismay, but was actually just discomfort having the conversation.

Hermione's eyes went wide and she turned to look the man in the face, "Professor Snape," she said in a somewhat shakey tone as she met his eyes, "Thank you for helping him, sir," she said as she tried to mask her own discomfort with talking with him. _"This cannot be happening... not now..." _she thought as she picked William up onto his feet and dusted him off.

Severus watched Hermione interact with the child who couldn't have been more than five years old. "You are welcome," he said as he stood up with them.

Hermione could feel him watching her as she picked up William and let him hold onto her, "What do you say to Professor Snape, William?" she asked softly to the boy who was sniffling in her neck.

William looked up at Severus and his eyes went wide in fear the grimace that Severus wore as a mask to protect himself. He quickly hid his face back in Hermione's neck.

Hermione frowned, "William Matthew Granger, what do you say to Professor Snape for healing your cuts?" she asked again in a more stern voice.

William lifted his eyes just enough to look at him, "Th-thank you, Professor Snape," he mumbled.

The corners of Severus mouth went up a miniscule bit and he nodded, "You are very welcome, William. It's been a pleasure to see you, Miss Granger, but I must bid you both adieu now," he said before bowing his head and walking away.

Hermione nodded, "Good day, Professor," she said before walking hastily the otherway, praying to every diety that may or may not exist, that Severus Snape did not connect any dots.


	2. Brilliant, Just Brilliant

Unfortunately for Hermione, Severus did connect the dots. It was the reason for his hasty escape from the scene. He did not know know to how to confront such an issue, especially with the issue being a child.

Severus would not have known any difference if Hermione had not been calling the boy's full name. William Matthew _Granger_. Not Weasley. Not even Potter. Granger. Granger was her maiden name and was now the name of her child. If the child had had any other name it would have meant she had married and thus the child was produced. But no. The child carried her name, so he was born out of wedlock and did not have his father.

Once he had heard the name, Severus started putting the dots together. The boy's hair; black and straight like his own and his mother before them. The boy's skin tone made it look as though he had never seen sunlight, even though Hermione was naturally tanned. Last and certainly Severus' least favorable feature which was passed on to the unfortunate boy was his nose.

Severus hated his nose. It was passed on from his father, who he hated more than life itself because he was an abusive bastard who drank way to much and gambled his family's money away. His nose was just reminder of who and what he came from and what he was becoming. While he didn't gamble, he did drink more than his fair share of booze. Most nights he would fall asleep in a drunken stupor.

Severus apparated himself to his home on Spinner's End to figure out what he was going to do. The home that he had inherited from his parents, looked like every other house on the street; overgrown lawn, faded and peeling paint on the outside, missing shingles from the roof, and broken shudders on the windows. While Severus would have normally taken pride in his home, he had no desire to make it look out of the ordinary in the run down neighborhood. The neighbors already suspected him of being odd and he did not want to make them think anything else. While the outward appearance of his house was lacking, the inside was quite the opposite.

As soon as one walked into his home, they were right in the living room and there was a surprising amount of warmth about the place. In the corner sat a big, brown, leather chair that had been well worn from long nights of Severus reading over the years. Lining the wall the opposite of the chair was a mahogany bookshelf that was built into the entire wall, which was overflowing with tomes dating back over three-hundred years in multiple languages. There was a single standing lamp in the corner of the room which gave light to the small living room. Between the chair and bookshelf, was the liquor cabinet, which was filled with many bottles Oden's Old Firewhiskey and a few other particularly strong brews.

Severus immediately walked over the liquor cabinet and poured himself three fingers of the firewhiskey, downing it in an instant, trying to calm himself down. He had a child.

The mere thought made him refill the drink before sitting down in his chair to think.

The only time he had ever been with Hermione was during the one year memorial celebration of the end of the war and the fall of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

_ The ceremony had been held at Hogwarts; it had taken one year to completely clean up the mess Voldemort made and rebuild a new school on top of it. The courtyard was given a new fountain to serve as a reminder of what had been. It was ten feet wide, twelve feet long, and it rose four feet off the ground. In the center of it were statues of the four founders of the school, standing hand in hand. Gryffindor faced north, Slytherin faced south, Ravenclaw faced east, and Hufflepuff faced west. The flowed behind their robes and between their arms into the basin. There was a plaque that read, "No matter what side you fought for, at one point Hogwarts was your home." All along the marble fountain, the names of everyone died in the war engraved, not matter what side they fought for. Severus had found it disappointing that Bellatrix got her name on the wall, but so be it._

_After Potter had said some heroic speech that Severus couldn't bother to listen to, even though he was on the stage standing behind him because of Hero of War status, there was reception with an open bar. Severus had more than he should have considering he was public, but he hadn't cared. He was a was forced to attend the vapid ceremony, so he intended to at least make it worth his while._

_Apparently, Miss Granger had some of the same sentiments on the matter. While she willing attended the ceremony, it brought up terrible memories for her. She had spent the year after the war away in France trying to recuperate from the traumatic experience. Going to the ceremony just reopened the wound and she couldn't help but want to drown out the thoughts. So, of course with them both drinking more than they should, they saw each other at the bar. Having been loosened up from the alcohol, they both started talking and one thing led to another._

_Severus had brought Hermione back to his house that night. He normally never brought anyone back to his house because then people would know where to find him. Within minutes the pair were having drunk, unprotected sex in bedroom. _

_The next morning, or more like afternoon, Severus woke up and Miss Granger was gone from his bed and his life._

Severus growled and threw his emptied glass against the wall, shattering it into a million tiny pieces. How could he have been so stupid to sleep with frizzy-haired, bucktoothed, hand-waving, know-it-all that he detested so much as a student _and_ knock her up? While yes, Miss Granger had grown into quite the young lady, but that was exactly it. She was a young lady! He was twenty years her senior.

He had a child. Severus had never wanted children. He knew he probably wouldn't much better of a parent than his father, so he just wanted to spare a child the pain he went through. "May second, nineteen ninety nine was when we shagged... so that means the child was born the next February... making him about four..." he said to himself as he tried to figure it out. "Congratulations Severus. You have a four year old son with a twenty-four year old and you're forty-four. Brilliant, just brilliant," he said scolded himself. "Should have had that stupid vasectomy," he grumbled as he stood up, leaving the glass on the floor and went to his room.

He sat down on the bed and kicked off his shoes before laying down and falling asleep in a drunken stupor, even though it was only five in the afternoon.

* * *

When Hermione got home to her apartment with William she immediately went into the kitchen and sat him on the counter. It was a small apartment, just two bedrooms and one bathroom, but it was all they needed for the two of them and Crookshanks. It was evident that a child lived there. The living room was covered in trucks, blocks, stuff animals, and other toys, though Hermione tried to keep them in one area. There were little kids clothes lying the couch from when William decided that he didn't want to wear them anymore, which was everyday around nap time. There was even an array of children's movies next to the telly. It was small, but it was hers and that's all that mattered to her.

"Let me what Professor Snape did to your knees, baby," she said softly as she put the groceries on the counter next to him.

William was always getting scraps, bumps, and bruises, but the ones he received that day were particularly bad, "It hurts, mummy," he whined to her. Hermione smiled at him, "Well, Professor Snape did a very nice job healing your boo-boo's. Do you want me to kiss them and make all better?" she asked sounding amused. She knew all to well that his knees didn't hurt one bit and that he was just playing ill so Hermione might give him a cookie. She figured he would be sorted into Slytherin when the time came for him to go Hogwarts.

William nodded at her innocently and gave her big, brown puppy eyes that she used to give her mother and father as a child. Hermione at him as she bent and put a big kiss on each knee, "Is that better?" she asked. He shook his head vigorously at her, "It will all better if I can have a cookie, mummy," he said as a matter-of-factly. Hermione chuckled and nodded, "Alright, but first you have to go wash your hands really well in the bathroom with soap," she said as she lifted him off the counter and onto the floor. Once he was gone Hermione started letting her mind wander to the day's events.

There hadn't been a single day since she found out she was pregnant, that she hadn't thought about Severus Snape. It was hard not to think about the man, when her son looked and acted so much like him. William not only had Severus' hair, pale complexion, and nose, but he also made many of the same facial expressions as the man. Not to mention the child was extremely intelligent, but Hermione gave herself half credit for that. 'Two genius parents,' she thought as she started putting the groceries away.

When she first found out she pregnant, two and a half months after she and Severus had been together, she went straight to Spinner's End to tell him. Only to her dismay, when she got there he wasn't there. She went back everyday for a month to see him and try to tell him, but each and every time he was not there, no matter what time of day she went. Finally, a neighbor who was sick of seeing her around came out and told her that he was away and didn't show any sign of coming back.

Angered and alone, she had sent him numerous owls trying to explain the situation to him. Each time she sent an owl, it would come back with the same letter still attached to its leg, undisturbed. They were never able to find him so he was obviously out of the country.

By the time William was born, Hermione understood that she was be a single mom and she accepted it. It didn't make it any easier for, but she knew that if she held out on the hope Severus would come riding in a white horse and save the day, she would be crushed for the rest of her life. So she didn't wait for him. She stopped trying to contact him and raised William on her own, with the help of the Potter's and Weasley's of course, but essentially on her own.

William was her's and her's alone. It was plain and simple. She loved that little boy more than anything in her life. Hell, he was her life. It scared her to death, that Severus Snape might try to ruin everything she had built for herself and son.

"Mummy! I said I washed them!" William exclaimed pulling her from her thoughts. She turned and looked at him, "With soap?" she asked as she closed the fridge and went into the cookie jar. He nodded anxiously, "Uh-huh! I used lots of soap!" he said as he watched her hand go into the jar. Hermione smiled at him as she hand him half of a cookie, "You can have half now and half after dinner. Don't make a mess," she said seriously. William eagerly took the cookie and ran into the living room, turning on the telly and watching happily.

Hermione sighed and watched her son play in the living room as she cooked. Normally she would be able to find a logical way out of a situation. It was what she did all through school with Harry and Ron. At very least she would be able to give a half solution to a problem. But at the moment, she couldn't even think of a quarter solution to even try and remotely fix the problem. "Brilliant," she mumbled to herself, "Just brilliant."

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow! I'm really astonished by how followers this story got in such a short a time! It made really excited and wrote this chapter up while everything is still good and ready in my mind. I'm just getting back into the grove with writing after nearly a year, so please excuse my jumbled writing style. Since its summer, I'm going to try to update at least once a week. I'm not sure how long this is going to be, but I'm really excited for it and I hope you guys are too! Also I'm going to try to create some fan art for this story and I welcome any readers to do the same :D Reviews feed my brain so you should all leave them! If you have any ideas on where I should take the plot feel free to tell me! Also if you are interested in betareading for me on this story that would be greatly appreciated, otherwise the story is going to go un-betaread. **


	3. Don't Get Involved

**Author's Note: Really long chapter for you guys, I hope you enjoy it. **

**I'd like to thank WorryWart for graciously offering her beta reading services to me. **

**I'd also like to say thank you for reviews and follows! I never thought I would get this many people into it!**

**Also, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did Snermione would be canon.**

**One Week Later**

It was nearly five in the morning when Severus jolted awake in his bed. His breathing was quick and shallow and his sheets were soaked with his sweat. Severus groaned as he remembered his reason for waking. He was having nightmares again.

It started two days after his encounter with Miss Granger and her child. The dream unfolded the same way each time.

_Severus was walking through Diagon Alley, picking up ingredients from the apothecary so he could continue brewing Dreamless Sleep potions for himself and the small clientele base he had procured over the years. _

_Severus had just walked out of the apothecary, when William tripped in front of his feet, scraping his knees in the process. As Severus went to help the boy, everyone in the crowd around them came to an abrupt stop. In unison, they all turned their heads stared angrily at Severus. _

_The crowd began speaking in perfect unison, "You're the reason he's hurt. You weren't there to protect. You hurt him. You're just like your father!" They all said as they started moving in on him and the boy._

_William, looking the most resentful of the crowd said, "You're just like your father; a drunk and a coward." The crowd kept moving closer._

_Severus would try to scream, but was rendered mute. No one could hear._

_They would all just keep moving closer and closer until they were all on top of him._

That is when Severus would wake up. He had had the nightmare four nights in a row, and four nights in a row he had woken up covered in sweat and panting fiercely. He knew he had to do something.

For the next three hours, Severus busied himself with doing simple chores like laundry, dishes, and reorganizing his potions ingredients in his lab, which was located in his basement.

When eight o'clock finally came, Severus showered, dressed in his usual all black robes—despite the intense summer heat wave that had just rolled in—and he Disapparated to the one person's house he knew would give him an honest opinion, regardless of the situation. Lucius Malfoy.

After the fall of the Dark Lord, Severus had been left poisoned and nearly crippled from the attack of Nagini. He had spent nearly six months in Saint Mungo's recovering. While recovering, he had few visitors, one of whom was Lucius Malfoy himself.

Lucius' companionship was completely unexpected, especially after it was revealed that Severus had been a double agent, but the blond wizard was there while no one else was.

Severus knocked on the door of the manor and promptly let in by a house elf. The old, tiny elf—whose name Severus could never recall-led him up the grand staircase and into Lucius' study.

The study was generously sized room, about the size of Severus' entire house. In the centre of the room was a large, elegant desk made of black walnut wood. Lucius prided himself in the fact it was imported from the U.S., though Severus personally thought the wood to harsh against Lucius' pale complexion.

In front of the desk was a large, circular rug that housed two wing backed chairs made of the same black walnut wood and dark green fabric, in Slytherin fashion of course.

On the left and right wall, there were floor to ceiling bookshelves; each filled with tomes that had been passed down in the Malfoy family for the past seven hundred years. The other two walls in the room were adorned with portrait paintings of Malfoy ancestors, spanning two hundred years.

"Severus. What brings you here today?" Lucius asked as he looked over the top of his Daily Prophet. The front page showed pictures of the outcome Quidditch World Cup that had been held the day before in Northern Ireland. Ireland won against Spain three hundred forty to one hundred twenty.

Severus sat down across from him and looked at him seriously, "I have a problem. I am in need of some advisement."

Lucius raised an eyebrow at him as he laid his paper down. "What is the trouble?" he asked, his curiosity peaked.

Severus took a deep breath and looked him straight in the face. "I have a child," he said to him, the words tasting like venom on his tongue.

Lucius' curious expression went away and in its place was a look of pure confusion. "A child?" he asked, making sure he heard him right.

Severus nodded and remained quiet.

"With whom?" Lucius exclaimed sounding completely and utterly shocked.

Severus immediately wished he hadn't come to Lucius for advice. He had no desire to answer the question of who the mother of his child was or how the child came to be.

"Severus! With whom do you have a child?" Lucius repeated, pulling him from his mind.

Severus sighed, got up and walked over to Lucius' liquor cabinet, despite the fact it was barely 8:45 in the morning. He took his time pulling out a glass and pouring himself a drink, even taking the time to add ice. It was all in the spirit of procrastination.

"Severus Snape, you can't just come in here and drop that kind of news on me and then not say anything else. Who the fuck did you knock-up?" Lucius growled angrily.

Severus just closed his eyes as he downed his drink. When he finished it, he put it on the cabinet top as he moved his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "To late to back down, Severus," he thought to himself as he stood there.

"Well?" Lucius exclaimed again.

Severus growled and turned to face him. "Hermione Granger. Happy?" he hissed as he stalked back to his chair and plopped down in it like a child would.

Lucius stood hunched over his desk with his hands firmly planted on each side. "Hermione Granger?" he asked, with his own words now tasting of venom. "The Mudblood know-it-all you complained about at every chance you got when you still worked at the wretched school?" he clarified.

"The very same," Severus replied dully.

Lucius was astounded. Rarely was he ever rendered speechless, but when he was, it was only because he was thinking to quickly to put words together. It was now his turn to go get a drink from the liquor cabinet, giving himself a generous three fingers of Firewhisky in the glass Severus had used before him.

As he walked back to his desk, drink in hand, Lucius debated with himself what he would say next. Sitting down across from Severus in his plush chair, he sipped his Firewhisky, savouring the burn.

When he finally spoke, he was careful with his words, "How old is the child?" he asked, sounding distant from the issue.

"He's four, I think," Severus replied thoughtfully.

"And you're sure he-"

"Yes. I am without a doubt that I fathered the child."

Lucius nodded and looked up from his glass, "When did this happen? I suppose the better question is how did it happen? And why the Mudblood?"

"It happened at the one year war memorial," he started. "Both Miss Granger and I were heavily intoxicated. I brought her back to my home, we shagged, and fell asleep. The next morning she had left before I had even awoken. And why her? Because she was a readily available shag, and I was pissed off my arse and lost all my inhibitions," he said as if it were obvious.

"I'm assuming since we're just talking about this now, she did not inform you of er pregnancy or the birth of the child?"

Severus shook his head as he spoke, "Not that I am aware of... although, I did leave a month after the memorial for Siberia. I spent a year there, hunting and harvesting moon weed. It is incredibly rare, since it only ripens once every hundred years. Since it is such a sought after ingredient, it gives me an advantage over other Potioneers. I'll be able to brew some of the rarest potions known to modern society," he said with much enthusiasm in his voice.

Lucius just absentmindedly sipped his Firewhisky, because he honestly didn't care about some weed that grew in a frozen wasteland. When Severus finished regaling about his trip, Lucius looked up at him. "If you're done getting your Gobstones off on weeds, we have more pressing matters at hand."

Severus rolled his eyes at his friend and shook his head. "Continue playing your game of twenty questions," he sighed.

"Thank you," Lucius said with a smirk, before looking at him seriously. "Now, what in Merlin's name made her contact you now? Does she need money? Does she want you to be a part of the child's life? Surely she must have given an explanation," he said logically.

"She did not contact me. I was merely walking in Diagon Alley last week, and the boy tripped in front of me. I healed his scrapes before I realized he was her child. She gave a simple 'thanks' before we parted ways."

Lucius nearly choked on his drink as he listened to the story. "You mean to say, that she did not contact you? She is not asking for money or for companionship or child support or anything?" he asked, getting flustered.

Severus shook his head, "No. Not from what I can tell."

"Then why in the name of all things good and mighty, is this child a problem? He is costing you nothing. His mother is wanting nothing from you. You don't have any ties to him, except for blood. You're lucky! The kid isn't your problem."

Severus frowned, "Unlike you, Lucius, I have a conscious. For the past four nights, that conscious has been plaguing me with terrible dreams about the boy. So yes, he is my problem," he hissed.

"Why do you insist on getting involved? She doesn't want anything from you! Consider yourself lucky, Severus. Do you know what I would give not to have my excuse for a son? He's a disappointment, and he costs more than he's worth. But you know what? I'm stuck with arrogant prat. But you; you have a choice. You aren't stuck with the boy. He doesn't even know you exist! Besides, you'll probably just fuck up his life, like our fathers did to us and their fathers before them."

Severus inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I can't just ignore the fact I have a son. The least I can do is give her money to raise him. Even if I'm not involved. It's the least I can do after I fucked her life up so royally."

It was true. If Hermione hadn't gotten pregnant, she would have gone on to be a very successful lawyer, perhaps even a politician. But, instead she probably had ended up at some dead end ministry job, paying her eight galleons an hour. Probably.

Little did he know, Hermione had actually made quite a comfortable career for herself in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. She was the Head of Operations to the entire department. This meant it was her job to make sure the entire department ran smoothly, and the only person she answered to was the head of the department. It had high pay, but Hermione always made large contributions to charities because she saw no point in living beyond her and her son's needs.

"If she had wanted to, she could have aborted the thing before it was born! All she had to do was take a potion, but no. She didn't abort it, meaning she wanted to have the child, Severus. So don't go getting involved!" Lucius exclaimed. He was starting to get furious with Severus over the matter.

"Yes, Lucius. Believe me, I have thought about that many times over the past week, but you are still not seeing my point. I feel responsible. So do not lecture me about how it is not my problem. I came here to you, to ask for your advice on the matter of how I should contact Miss Granger. If you are unwilling to assist me, then I will take my leave," he snarled as he stood up and turned towards the door.

Lucius just sighed at the man. "I swear Severus, sometimes you're a fucking Gryffindor," he said before finishing his drink. "Come back. Sit, you fool. When this comes back and bites your arse, I will be here saying I told you so," he said as he shuffled some papers around as he looked for a quick quill.

Severus smirked at him as he sat back down. "If I am a Gryffindor, then you are a Hufflepuff."

Lucius scoffed, "Over my dead body. Now, what I suggest you do is owl Miss Granger with a proposal to meet. Somewhere that's neutral ground. Perhaps the Three Broomsticks. Tell her not to bring the boy, for it will only complicate things. Also, keep the drinking to a minimum. We wouldn't want another child making an appearance in your melodramatic life," he said as his quill scribbled this all on a piece of parchment for Severus.

When it finished, Lucius looked the paper over and nodded. "Yes. That should do it," he said and handed it over to Severus.

Severus looked the paper over himself and nodded. "Thank you, Lucius. It seems there is purpose to keeping you around."

Lucius smirked, "Why thank you, dear Severus," he said as a woman who was scantily dressed walked into the office. Lucius smirked even wider, "Time for you leave Severus. I have work to do," he said as he started to loosen his tie.

Severus gave a curt nod and quickly fled the room, but not before the woman—who looked much too young to be having an affair with anyone Lucius' age—took off her robe and walked towards Lucius' desk. He had no idea how Narcissa dealt with the arrogant bastard for nearly thirty years.

oOoOo

The Quidditch season was always busy for Hermione, especially when the UK received 'The Great Honour,' as her head of department put it, of hosting the Quidditch World Cup. That year it was in Northern Ireland; to be more specific in the middle of Lough Neagh. Hermione was convinced that the head was drunk off his arse when he thought up the idea of putting a stadium that would be holding 400,000 people in the middle the lake, but being as everything he said had to go, Hermione had to actually put the idea into action. It took five months to get all the necessary materials for the project and another two to build the actual stadium, even with magic. While it had taken, nearly two months to build, Hermione had only two weeks to take the place down.

In addition to having to focus on the World Cup, Hermione also had non-Quidditch related jobs to do. She was in charge of creating the proper relationship between foreign countries. To do this, Hermione had to permit the Bulgarians to come hunt down a serial thief who was hiding in Surrey, she had to give the wizarding U.S. some military support against the North Koreans, and she had to create a treaty with the Germans.

While Hermione had dealt with and negotiated with some of the most unappealing people in the wizarding world, yet nothing had made her feel more sick to her stomach than when she received the letter from Severus.

Hermione had been in the kitchen making William his lunch, when a barn owl flew in the open living room window and landed on the counter. Hermione furrowed her brows when she didn't recognize the owl, but it didn't long for her to realize whose it was.

The letter addressed to her had the same handwriting that was on every quiz, test, and essay she turned in for her Potions classes, when Professor Snape still taught the class at Hogwarts.

With a shaky hand, Hermione took the letter from the owl and gave him a piece of bread for delivering the letter. The bird ate the bread eagerly, but didn't leave. Hermione looked at the bird with an annoyed expression her face. "He told you to wait for a reply," she said more as a statement than a question.

The bird hooted in reply and watched her eagerly, waiting for a letter.

Hermione rubbed her face as a feeling of dread started pooling in her stomach. When she looked up, William was coming into the kitchen. "Mummy is lunch re- Whoa!" he said in excitement as he went to go look at the owl on the counter. "Who sent a letter mummy? It's not Uncle Harry cause he has a big black owl. It's not Uncle George cause he has a small brown owl. It's not Gramma or Grampa's cause they have Errol and he's silly," he giggled at his own mentioning of Errol, who was as big a fool as ever. "Whose owl is he, Mummy?" he asked curiously, as he stroked the feathers.

Hermione smiled at her son's inquisitiveness , "He belongs to someone from work," she lied. "They just sent me something I need for work. Now wash your hands after touching the owl and then come have lunch. I made peanut butter and jam with apple slices," she said, knowing he loved to eat apples more than anything.

William's eyes went wide, and he ran to the bathroom, coming back a minute later and running to the table.

Hermione put his food down in front of him with a glass of milk and kissed his head. "I'll come join you in a moment. I have to go reply to the letter," she smiled at him.

William just nodded and ate his apple slices as he danced in his chair and swung his legs.

Hermione smiled as she went back to the kitchen, picking up the letter and taking the owl on her arm as she went to her room where her desk was. The owl flew to the perch next to the desk as Hermione sat down. After a moment of just looking at the dreaded letter, she opened it and began to read.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_I would be very grateful if you would join me for a drink this coming Friday, so we may discuss matters that have recently come to my attention. I will be at the Three Broomsticks at 6 pm. Since you have a child, I have no intention of keeping your company long; an hour at the most._

_Severus Snape_

Hermione growled in frustration at the letter. The man could be absolutely infuriating when he was this vague, although she knew exactly what he wanted to talk about. Hermione laid her head down on the desk and started thinking about what to do.

"Option One: Ignore the letter and go on with your life... then you have to deal with this stupid owl, and you'll have to deal with him sooner or later," she thought as she sat up with her eyes closed and leaned back in the chair. "Option two: Write back, rejecting his invitation... no more bird, but you'll still have to deal with him. Option three: Write back, accepting his invitation and entertain what he has to say... of course the only logical option. Damn. Option four: There is no option four."

Hermione opened her eyes and looked at the bird who was impatiently ruffling its feathers.

The bird looked her straight in the eyes and squawked loudly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. I'm writing the damned letter," she mumbled as she pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill.

_Dear Mr. Snape,_

_I agree to meet you on Friday on the condition you do not ask anything unreasonable of me. In the event you do, I will promptly leave your presence and any further notion of you will not be entertained._

_Regards,_

_Hermione Granger_

Hermione sealed the letter with wax and addressed it before giving it to the bird. "Now get the hell out of here," she said as she opened the window in her bedroom.

The bird immediately flew away.

Hermione watched it fade away in the sky and couldn't help but wonder if she had made a huge mistake in accepting Severus' invitation.

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	4. He's Mine

**Author's Note: ****I'd like to thank WorryWart for graciously offering her beta reading services to me.**

**Also, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did Snermione would be canon.**

When Friday finally rolled around, Hermione had considered cancelling at least eight times; four times she considered actually going through with it. Each time she had started writing the cancellation letter, she would find a reason not to and then proceed to Incendio the letter.

Friday was always a late day for Hermione. Everything that people had been procrastinating to do all week ended up completed on her desk, ready for approval, half an hour before she was due to go home. So instead of leaving at 4:15, Hermione usually ended up leaving at 5:50.

On this particular Friday, Hermione had finished and approved everything on her desk by 5:55. Normally she would pick William up from Molly's at six, but given the circumstances, Hermione asked her to keep William until around seven. Molly, of course, happily obliged.

Hermione looked at her watch. "5:56," she muttered.

She looked up and gazed around her office, procrastinating as much as possible. Her gaze fixed the picture on her desk of her and William, making her smiling. It was the day they had gone to the park in Vertic Alley to teach William and Teddy how to fly. Harry, of course, was the instructor, and Hermione was the cheerleader that she had always been during school. In the picture, she was helping William stay balanced on his broom, flying just above her knees. He looked so happy.

Hermione sighed. "Will we still be able to do stuff like this?" she wondered silently. If Severus truly wanted be a part of their lives, maybe he would insist on doing this stuff. It would not be her and William anymore. It would be her and William and Severus. The witch didn't like the idea of it all.

She looked at her watch again. "5:58," she said quietly. A moment later, Hermione slowly rose from her chair. "No point in being early," she mused as she walked over to her cloak closet in the corner, retrieving her cloak and purse.

"5:59," she said as she moved in front of the mirror adjacent to cloak closet.

She was wearing a dark blue peplum blouse that was pleated along the waistline and made her curves more prominent, a black pencil skirt that came just above her knees, and a pair of heels that matched the shirt. Around her neck she wore a gold toned, faceted bead necklace, and in her ears were the diamond stud earrings Harry had bought for her the previous Christmas. She had tied her curly mane of hair up in an elegant side bun on the left side of her head. Her makeup was simple and natural looking; she wore only mascara and lip gloss. Her cloak was a lightweight summer cloak in a dark shade of grey. All in all, she looked gorgeous, but that didn't stop her from nitpicking her appearance.

The next time Hermione looked at her watch it was 6:04.

She looked at herself one last time before heading for the Disapparation point in the ministry lobby.

oOoOo

Severus had been sitting in a booth in the corner of the Three Broomsticks since 5:55. He was anxious about the meeting, even though he had arranged it. He had no idea what to expect from Miss Granger, although he assumed she would be sticking her Gryffindor ways and wearing a brave facade.

In the short time he had been at the pub, Severus had managed to drink two glasses of Firewhisky and he was already on his third drink. While he was heeding Lucius' warning, he still needed the liquid courage; after all, he wasn't a Gryffindor.

As he drank his Firewhisky, he failed to notice Hermione walk in the door. As she walked over him— her heels clicking on the floor— Severus sipped his drink and picked some lint off his robes.

"Mr. Snape," Hermione said, pulling Severus out of his thoughts.

He turned around to look at her and nearly gasped at her appearance. He expected to see the frizzy haired woman he met in Diagon Alley the week before who wore worn jeans, a tee shirt, and trainers. But the woman who stood before him bore no resemblance the overworked single mother he met in the alley; her hair was smoothed down with not a single strand out of place. Her clothes were well fitted and hugged her body in all the right places. Instead of the awful old trainers, she wore heels that added three inches to her height. Everything about her was absolutely gorgeous.

"Miss Granger," he said in usual vapid tone, not letting any emotion escape in his voice. "Please sit. We have much to discuss."

Hermione removed her cloak before elegantly sliding into the booth across from him, "If you don't mind, Mr. Snape, I have had a long day, and I would like to skip the idle chit chat and get to the point," she said as Madam Rosemerta brought the bottled water she had ordered before sitting down to the table.

Severus was surprised by her bluntness, but gave her a nod. Once Rosemerta left, he spoke, "Your son; when was he born?"

"Twelfth of February, nineteen ninety-nine," she replied automatically.

Severus closed his eyes and let it sink in as he sipped his drink. When he opened his eyes, he looked at her, "He is mine, I assume?"

"No. He's not yours. He's mine," she said bitterly.

Severus bowed his head in apology, "I mean, am I the man who fathered him?"

Hermione nodded."You are."

Having confirmation of what he already knew made Severus feel surprising heavy, almost as if he was carrying a burden; in a sense, he was.

"While you may be his biological father, Mr. Snape," Hermione continued, "that is all you are. He does not know of your existence nor does he yearn for it. I am not obligating you to provide for him in any way. I gave up on him having a father when you did not reply to even one of the many owls I sent you. So you may continue to live the life you have always lived, without the worry of having a child," she assured him.

Severus looked at her incredulously, "I received no such owls," he abjured.

"Oh, I am quite aware you did not receive them Mr. Snape," she said as she opened her purse and pulled out a stack of letters, placing them in front of him. "I sent one letter a week for twenty-six weeks."

Severus reached for letters with a shaky hand. In front of him were Miss Granger's twenty-six attempts to inform him that he was to be a father. Each letter was folded, wax sealed, and addressed to him. He looked up and met her eyes, "I had no idea," he said honestly.

Hermione nodded. "I know you didn't. That's why I bear no grudge towards you on the matter."

Severus looked at her in utter disbelief. How could she not hate him? He knew that if the situation was reversed, he would hate her with all his being, yet she didn't hate him.

Before he knew what he was saying, the words came out, "Give me a chance."

Hermione, who was taking a sip of water, nearly choked as she swallowed. Once she recovered she looked in him the eyes. "Excuse me?" she asked, thinking she had heard him wrong.

It was too late to back down now. "Give me a chance; to know him," he pleaded.

"Is this a joke? You hate children. You made it quite evident from the way you treated all the students when you worked as the Potions professor at Hogwarts. On numerous occasions you even said you hated children to our faces. Why would I want the man who made my childhood hell to know my son?" she asked seriously.

Severus just looked down. He had made all students lives hell, but none like those of the Golden Trio. He remembered all the times he had made fun of Hermione specifically, calling her names or ignoring the fact that Draco had hexed her already buck teeth to grow even larger. She had every reason to not want him to be a part of her son's life. In her eyes, she was protecting him from the prat who would only be cruel to him.

"I have no right to ask this of you, Miss Granger, nor do I deserve for you to say yes, but I am asking you to give me a chance. If the boy—"

Hermione interrupted him, "No, not 'the boy'. His name is William."

Severus bowed his head in apology, "Of course. If William does not accept my presence in his life, then I will leave you both. The only time you will hear from me is when I transfer money to your Gringotts vault, as it is the least I can do," he insisted. "After all, it can't be easy for two people to live on a single salary.

"Let's say I allow you to be a part of our lives, theoretically speaking of course, what do you think will happen?"

Severus never really thought about what would happen if he was an active part of their lives. "Well, I would provide for the two of you," he said as if it were obvious.

Hermione just smiled and shook her head, "Did you know that children form bonds with things and people, that can be stronger than Goblin struck steel? If you give a child a toy, let's use William's favourite stuffed animal he named Cheddar. He has had Cheddar since he was two. He won't sleep without it. Let's say I'm washing Cheddar; he'll cry and beg for him back because he loves it so much.

"So how do you think it would work with a person? A real person who can talk back, and he can connect to on a deeper level than Cheddar? If he gets close to you, Mr. Snape, and you suddenly decided that you don't like the idea of playing a roll in his life and you leave, he is going cry and beg for you to come back, and I'm going to have to be the one to explain to him that you aren't coming back because you have better things to do. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

Severus listened to what she said, really letting the words sink in. Did she really believe him to be that unreliable? That cruel? Though he would never admit it, what she said hurt somewhere deep inside.

Hermione could sense the fact he was hurting from what she said, but she didn't care. "Mr. Snape, everything I do is for my son. Every decision I make, every step I take, everything is focused around whether or not it is good for the well being of my son. You must understand that I do not believe a relationship with you would benefit my son in any way. You have nasty habits, such as drinking and visiting brothels. When we met last week in Diagon Alley, I could smell the liquor on your breath. I don't want that around my child."

Severus inhaled sharply. He never thought anyone actually knew about him visiting the brothels in Knockturn Alley. "What if I were to change my bad habits and form good ones?"

Hermione just shook her head. "I don't know if I actually see that happening though."

"But if I were to, would you give me a chance?"

"Only one chance. I won't give you the option to hurt him more than once," she said as she put the lid back on her water.

Severus was overjoyed at the chance, though his physical appearance didn't hint at it. "Thank you, Miss Granger. You are more than gracious."

Hermione nodded at him. "Hopefully, my graciousness won't be misplaced."

She checked her watch; it was a quarter to seven. "If that is all Mr. Snape, I really must be leaving," she said as she slid out of the booth, stood up, and put her cloak back around her neck.

Severus stood with her and nodded, "Yes, it is Miss Granger. I would like to thank you again for coming tonight."

Hermione smoothed out her shirt and skirt as she spoke, "You are welcome, Mr. Snape. Owl me when think you've changed your behaviours, and we can see about setting something up. Until then, I do not want you to owl me at home or at work."

Severus left the money for his drinks on the table and followed her out of the pub. "Not a problem, Miss Granger. Good night," he said before Disapparating from Hogsmeade.

Once he was gone, Hermione groaned inwardly. "What have I just agreed to?"

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! I was recently in hospital and my new medicine has only made me sicker :P I'm going to try and update sooner next time! Reviews are love!**


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